The present invention is drawn to a system for preventing the theft of automobile airbags. More specifically, the present invention presents a device for preventing access to the connectors used to attach an airbag to an automobile. The invention further contemplates a method for preventing the theft of automobile airbags.
Most new automobiles produced in the U.S. and abroad are equipped with airbags. Airbags are useful in preventing injury to the occupants of an automobile, should the automobile be involved in an accident. Typically, an airbag will be mounted in the center of the steering wheel of an automobile. It is also very common to mount airbags within the dashboard of the automobile in front of the passenger seat of the auto. It is also becoming common for automobiles to be equipped with air bags in the driver and passenger doors and within the dashboard on the passenger and driver sides.
Because airbags function only once and because automobiles often survive the accidents that set off the airbags, it is often necessary to replace the airbags in an automobile. And since replacement costs may run as high as $1200, airbags have become very popular targets for auto thieves who are seeking to supply a thriving illicit trade in stolen airbags.
Generally, airbags are intentionally attached to an automobile in a manner that makes removable difficult. A typical structure for connecting an airbag to an automobile consists of a bolt having a capped end and a threaded end that is received by a bracket attached to the chassis of the airbag. The bolt is passed through a part of the automobile, such as the steering wheel, and received by the bracket on the chassis of the airbag. The bolt may be simply threaded into the bracket. To make removal difficult, the bolt may be provided with one-way threads, or other means of securement, to prevent removal from the steering wheel without first cutting the bolt. Also, the capped end of the bolt is usually seated in the bottom of a sleeve that is received in a socket in the reverse side of the steering wheel. The sleeve serves to minimize access to the capped end of the bolt and as a washer to prevent the bolt from pulling through the relatively soft padding of the steering wheel.
Though the structure for attaching an airbag to an automobile described above is more than up to the task of literally attaching the airbag to a steering wheel, it is typically easily defeated. Further, beyond the difficulty in removing an airbag from a steering wheel, there is no disincentive for a thief to steal the airbag and no disincentive for a repairman to use a stolen airbag.
Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide a structure that will make the endeavor of stealing an airbag exceedingly difficult and thereby provide a major disincentive to persons who would use illegal means to obtain the airbag.
It is also an object of this invention to describe a method of attaching an airbag to an automobile that will make it more difficult to steal the airbag and which will also deter the use of stolen airbags.